Luckily it’s not illegal or you’d be arrested. Actually, no, if it was, maybe the state would sanction it and provide a La-Z-Boy (pronounced “lay-zed-boy” in Canada) recliner in a nice (smoke-free and trans-fats free!) lounge for you to smoke it.
An RCMP report has been secured by the Vancouver Sun through the Access to Information Act (which they normally use to try to embarrass the Harper Conservatives with controvertible documents) which shows that the RCMP backs the Harper Conservatives on their decision to be very leery of state-run drug “safe injection sites” and using your tax dollars to support them, since the RCMP concludes they don’t work (and to my way of thinking anyway, send exactly the wrong social and law-and-order message).
RCMP takes a swipe at injection site
Mounties say Insite’s lower risk encourages drug use
OTTAWA—The RCMP, which has publicly taken a neutral position on Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site for drug addicts, has produced an internal report harshly critical of the pilot project.
The three-page analysis, obtained by The Vancouver Sun, suggests that the “harm reduction” approach—helping addicts avoid overdosing or contracting HIV-AIDS—actually encourages drug use.
‘‘The RCMP has concerns regarding any initiative that lowers the perceived risks associated with drug use,” states Staff-Sgt. C.D. (Chuck) Doucette, Pacific Region co-ordinator of the RCMP’s Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness program.
‘‘There is considerable evidence to show that, when the perceived risks associated to drug use decreases, there is a corresponding increase in number of people using drugs.”
Doucette’s July 24, 2006 analysis, obtained through the Access to Information Act, was produced during the summer as Prime Minister Stephen Harper came under growing pressure to support Insite.
Harper, whose government is now planning a get-tough national drug strategy, voiced skepticism about the site that opened on a trial basis in late 2003. His government agreed in September only to extend the project’s licence only until December of 2007.
No doubt because Harper may have a different approach and an intelligent, healthy skepticism toward this failing approach, the report then goes on to quote an “expert” who thinks the RCMP report is flawed and lacks credibility, and, as if on cue, is quoted as saying “he finds it ‘‘frightening” that the Harper government is relying on such analysis.”
I find “experts” who make such statements frightening.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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